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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23688652">Claritine</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/seeyouwithyourlaughterlines/pseuds/seeyouwithyourlaughterlines'>seeyouwithyourlaughterlines</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Allergies, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Florist Rey, Lots of Inaccuracies, Reylo - Freeform, also I had to write Bazine into this because she is my fave, description of incorrect epipen use, flower shop au, lawyer ben, seriously this is garbage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:13:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,839</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23688652</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/seeyouwithyourlaughterlines/pseuds/seeyouwithyourlaughterlines</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey owns a flower shop. Ben is allergic.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bazine Netal &amp; Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>90</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Claritine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I hope this wasn't done before and if it was, I would like to say I'm sorry for doing a much worse job than anyone else. I just had this image in my head and kind of had to write it to get it out.</p>
<p>I would also like to say that I know nothing about flowers, allergies (besides being allergic myself) and any medications. Everything in this fic is incorrect but it's a fanfiction and it's not really meant to be accurate, right?</p>
<p>**Now with a fanart from my best friend**</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p>
<p>Rey looked at the clock above the stand with succulents as she wrapped a bouquet of red and yellow daffodils in newspaper for the older lady standing in front her. She smiled to herself. Two minutes until five. It was almost time. Every Friday afternoon, at precisely 5:03, the doors of Dandelions&amp; opened and in walked the bane of Rey’s existence, Ben. Every single Friday, for the last 13 weeks (not that Rey counted), at exactly 5:03pm, Ben walked into Dandelions&amp;, picked a flower from one of the buckets at the front of the shop and asked Rey to make a bouquet with those flowers. His tastes were very simple and elegant, as she learnt after the first few times he came into the shop. He didn’t like a lot of ribbons and frills added to his bouquets. Just a simple bouquet with one kind of flower, with a sprig or two of delicate baby’s breath or lily of the valley. He leaned towards flowers that expressed love and devotion - with some of his precious choices being chrysanthemums, daisies, and orchids. </p>
<p>Rey sighed as she handed change to the lady and said goodbye and thought of him. Ben. The first time he came into the shop, she was covered head to toe in dirt as she has been in the middle repotting zebra plants and rearranging the succulents display and the bag of soil was ripped in half and spilled everywhere. Just her luck. She tried to clean herself off as best as possible before turning to the newcomer. She looked at him and her jaw instantly dropped. The guy she sometimes saw crossing the street during lunch hours, the tall one with the dark hair looking so soft she dreamed of running her fingers through it, was inside her small shop. She never thought he would actually come into the shop. Whenever she saw him, he had a frown on his face, his lips in a tight line as if even the presence of people on the street was a nuisance to him. She has been fascinated by hom for a while and the fact that he came into the shop was a complete surprise to her. Rey tried to get herself together as fast as possible to not make more of an idiot of herselt. She smiled at the newcomer and welcomed him into her tiny world. The rest was history.</p>
<p>Over the next months, she learned little tidbits of information about him, that his name was Ben, he worked at a law firm across the street and he knew nothing about flowers. But he kept on coming every Friday, picking a flower and watching her as she built a bouquet with extra care for him. Rey would be lying if she said she wasn’t jealous of the woman who was the recipient of the weekly bouquet. There was no way someone as amazing, elegant, and handsome as Ben was single. She got her confirmation just a few weeks after learning his name. She went to a farmer’s market one Saturday and there he was, looking at a selection of just ripe mangoes and avocados, with a beautiful woman hanging on his arm. He smiled at something she said and Rey’s heart dropped to her stomach. </p>
<p>“Of course,” she mumbled to herself, “there was no way you actually had a chance with him.”</p>
<p>She followed them for a while as they moved between the stalls, laughing and choosing only the best of produce. After a while, Rey realized that she behaved like a stalker so she shook herself off and turned to walk away and leave them be. Of course, that was the moment Ben looked up and noticed her. Recognition shone in his eyes and his mouth turned into a wide smile as he raised a hand in a hello at Rey. Now she really couldn’t leave so she took a couple of steps closer to them and greeted them both.</p>
<p>“Hi, Ben, right?” she said. Ben’s smile widened and nodded at her.</p>
<p>“Hello, Rey. What a coincidence to run into each other here,” Ben replied. </p>
<p>“Yeah, I guess,” Rey confirmed awkwardly and continued, “ I live nearby so this is usually my weekend shopping spot.” She waved her hand around as if to confirm what she was saying.</p>
<p>“Yeah, right. Well, I don’t really live around here and this is actually my first time. We’re just shopping for a dinner I’m hosting tonight,” Ben said. Rey didn’t really know what to say to that.</p>
<p>“That’s good, they have the best produce here,” she affirmed and looked around. She should really end this soon so she doesn’t make even a bigger fool of herself. As she was having an internal dialogue, trying to figure out a way to leave politely, the woman next to Ben, who just quietly watched the exchange turned to Ben and pulled at his hand where she was hanging on his elbow. </p>
<p>“Ben, I think we should move along. We have a lot to do today, so…” she trailed off. It was as if Ben only just realized that they weren’t alone. </p>
<p>“Oh I’m sorry, I’m so rude. Rey, this is Bazine. Baz, this is Rey. She works at a flower shop across the street from work,” Ben explained. Rey smiled at Bazine. Bazine just looked her over with a smirk on her face.</p>
<p>“Oh, so you’re the one making those beautiful flowers every week?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, that would be me,” Rey replied self consciously. The conversation dulled for a little while as Bazine kept looking at Rey with mirth written all over her face. </p>
<p>“Well, I think we should go, don’t think Baz?” Ben suddenly said and suddenly, the atmosphere got even weirder than it already was.</p>
<p>“Oh yeah, I don’t mean to keep you. I should actually get going, too. So… I guess I’ll see you on Friday?”</p>
<p>“Friday?” Ben asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah, for the flowers?” Rey elaborated.</p>
<p>“Yeah, totally. See you on Friday, for the flowers, definitely.”</p>
<p>Rey just nodded at Ben awkwardly, half heartedly waved at Bazine, turned around and left them standing there. </p>
<p>But that was then. Now, it was 5:02 and Ben was supposed to walk through the door of her flower shop in less than a minute. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>****</p>
<p>Ben was a complete and utter idiot. There never existed someone as stupid as him. At least, that was what Ben Solo told himself as he looked at the empty blister pack of his Claritine. It was the last pack and it was empty. He was so swamped at work that week with the Resistance merger that he didn’t even realize he was running low on Claritine. He took the last pill that morning before leaving home. It was late spring and his allergies were at their yearly high and now he could look forward to a weekend full of runny nose, itchy eyes and constant sneezes. What was worse, he could say goodbye to visiting Dandelions&amp;, the flower shop across the street from First Order offices, he visited after work every Friday for the last 13 weeks (he definitely counted). He knew about the shop for a while now, ever since he started working at his current job a couple of years ago. He usually avoided flower shops at all costs but when he forgot about his mother’s birthday a little over 3 months ago, he decided to brave his allergies and enter the shop. He took 2 more allergy pills in preparation before crossing the street and hoping he wouldn't end with an anaphylactic shock like the last time he entered a place filled with plants and flowers and pollen. Incidentally, that was also the time he learned that what he once thought was a regular seasonal sensitivity, was a nearly deadly allergy to pollen. He ended up in the ER and left with an EpiPen always present at his side (he learned that pollen wasn’t the only thing he was allergic to - with  bees, dust, and animal fur being just some of them). So he took his additional Claritine, opened the door to Dandelions&amp; and his life was never the same. In the middle of the shop, covered in dirt, he saw the woman who would become part of his highest and also lowest moments for the foreseeable future. She was fiddling with dirt and flower pots and various kinds of plants (he couldn’t tell you what those we called). At the sound of the door, she turned to him and blinded him with the widest and most genuine smile anyone has ever aimed at him. From that moment, Ben was a goner. He knew nothing about flowers but somehow he managed to ask for a dozen of the best sterling roses they had without feeling like the complete idiot that he usually was. And when the girl, Rey, he learned a few weeks later, smiled at him as she handed him the most beautiful bouquet of roses, he knew this wasn’t the last time he entered the small shop. </p>
<p>He kept coming back, full of antihistamines, ready to face any side effect his weekly ventures into the flower shop might bring to him. After the first week, he turned off his computer at precisely 5:00, took the elevator to the lobby, said goodbye to Kaydel, the building receptionist and crossed the street with the crowds of other people hurrying towards their weekends. After entering the shop, he usually picked the first flower that he noticed, picked it up and asked Rey to build a bouquet around it. He didn’t really care about the looks but the twinkling in her eyes as she cut, arranged and tied the flowers together was enough to deal with the constant tickle in his nose and the itching in his eyes. He never stayed longer than 10 minutes (as that was the limit he could spend surrounded by all that snot inducing gunk) and when he left he spent the 20 minute drive to his parents’ home side eyeing the bouquet on his front seat and thinking about Rey. He got into the habit of bringing the flowers he bought to his weekly dinner at his parents’ house. His mother always seemed surprised and kept looking at him with the tiniest smile and it made something to his heart. He loved the feeling of his mother being proud of him. And his father always clapped him on the shoulder and poured him a glass of the ‘good’ bourbon. </p>
<p>After the first few visits to her shop, she started to lead short conversations with him, asking him about the flowers he picked and telling him little bits of information about different flower arranging techniques and the language of flowers and whatnot. He never knew that one could say so much by just picking a flower. After learning about this, he started deliberately picking flowers he remembered as saying desire and love and devotion. While that was awkward as the usual recipient of those bouquets was his mother, he always chose them with Rey on his mind. And in his mind, he was showing her his feelings about her. He was head over heels and there was nothing he could do about it. There was no way someone as beautiful and perfect as her had no one to call her own. Also, that time he came into the shop and she was on the phone, calling someone ‘honey’ and saying she would bring dinner home, was a dead giveaway. So now he just spent his weeks working, dealing with mergers and acquisitions, and the horrible Resistance take-over. It was only those minutes every Friday that he allowed himself to be the creep he really was and think about Rey. </p>
<p>And that’s why Ben Solo is a complete and utter idiot. Here he was, at 4:45 on a Friday, looking at an empty pack of a life saving medicine he needed to complete his weekly ritual of torturing himself over someone he would never have. But he was not about to wait another week just to catch a glimpse of her. He wanted to run to the nearest pharmacy and get an over the counter alternative to his meds but there was no way he would be able to run there, take it and make it in time before the flower shop closed at 5:30. That was just not possible. So when the clock struck 5:00, he turned off his computer, walked to the elevator and rode to the lobby. He waved and wished a nice weekend to Kaydel and walked out the front door of his office building. He had a choice to make, go to his car and straight to his parents’ house for dinner or cross the street, walk inside the flower shop and hope for the best. As he took a deep breath, checked the pocket of his suit for the EpiPen and his decision was made. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>****</p>
<p>At precisely 5:03, on a Friday afternoon, the door to Dandelions&amp; opened and Ben Solo walked in. He smiled automatically at the woman standing behind the counter and turned to his right to look at the selection of flowers set up in the buckets at the front of the shop. He picked a pretty white flower - it looked similar to a flower in bloom. </p>
<p>“Hi,” he said as he showed the flower to Rey. She walked around the counter and across the shop towards him. It was a long day for her and strands of hair that had gotten loose from her buns were now flying around her face. The sun was shining through the large windows and she looked ethereal with her cuffed khakis, white t-shirt and an apron with green and brown smudges that had clearly seen better times. He handed her the flower and she picked up several more that she would use to make the arrangement. </p>
<p>“Gardenias,” Rey said, her cheeks colored light pink, “what an excellent choice.” </p>
<p>Oh gosh, Rey thought, another flower which carried the meaning of love. His girlfriend was one lucky lady.  Rey set out to arranging the flowers, adding just a few sprigs of baby’s breath between the flowers. </p>
<p>“I should warn you, gardenias can be quite potent flowers and they do not last as long as other flowers. But these should last for a couple of days at least,” she looked at Ben. He was rolling on the balls of his feet, looking anywhere but at her. He finally raised his eye and met her gaze. He nodded at her but said nothing. </p>
<p>Ben looked around the store. There was already the telltale tickle in the back of his throat, in his ears and nose. The reaction was coming and it was coming fast. He hopes he could last without giving himself away until he was in the safety of his car. Then, he would drive straight to a pharmacy and buy any allergy remedies he could get asap. </p>
<p>Rey kept sneaking glances at him as she continued to work on the bench. She was nearly done. She thought of a way to keep him at the store longer. </p>
<p>“So… finally Friday, right?”</p>
<p>Ben just smiled tightly at her, barely nodding. That’s when Rey realized that something was not right about him. He was getting red in the face and his eyes looked a little bit swollen and full of tears. That was weird as all the times she had seen him before, he looked the perfect image of healthy.</p>
<p>“Are you...alright? You look a little flushed,” Rey asked him.</p>
<p>Ben  turned to her and his eyes widened.</p>
<p>“Yes, I am fine. Why would you ask?” he replied but his voice sounded scratchy and barely audible.</p>
<p>“Ben, seriously. Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t look good, your eyes and your face and…”</p>
<p>Rey didn’t even manage to finish the sentence as the loudest sneeze echoed around the store. And then it was followed by another. And another. </p>
<p>And then Ben started to look not only red but he also started to breathe very strangely, all wheezy as if his wind pipes were blocked. He was suffocating!</p>
<p>Rey quickly walked around the counter and towards him. </p>
<p>“Ben, oh my...tell me what is happening. Should I call 911? Please just tell me what to do, you are not doing fine…”</p>
<p>Ben didn’t reply, he just collapsed on the floor, gasping for air but not getting enough oxygen into his lungs. He reached for the pocket of his suit jacket for the EpiPen he had stashed there. But his hands were shaking and he couldn’t get it to open. He motioned to Rey and she quickly grabbed it. She read the small text on the packaging. </p>
<p>“Please…” Ben barely wheezed out, “I can’t…”</p>
<p>Rey understood. She quickly took off the cap in the pen and with a barely noticeable nod from Ben, she smashed the pen to his leg and released the medicine. It took a couple of seconds for the medicine to start working but little by little, Ben’s breathing returned to something that resembled normal. He could finally take deeper breaths and his face returned to its normal color. </p>
<p>Rey sat on her heels in front of him. She was frowning. He didn’t like her frowning at him.</p>
<p>“What the hell was that!?” she exclaimed angrily. </p>
<p>“An allergic reaction?” Ben aimed for a lighthearted tone but he had barely any voice. </p>
<p>“An allergic reaction to what? You looked fine when you came into the store…”</p>
<p>“Pollen? Flowers? Dust?”</p>
<p>“You are allergic to pollen? You are so allergic to pollen that you carry an EpiPen around with you and you willingly come into a flower shop? Are you insane? What the fuck, Ben?” </p>
<p>Now Rey was getting angry. All the adrenaline from having to save his life was the fuel behind the irrational anger she felt at him endangering his life. And for what? For buying some flowers? Clearly he was crazy for putting himself in that position.</p>
<p>“Yes, I am allergic to pollen. And dust. And animal fur,” Ben said quietly. Angry Rey was kind of hot and he didn’t want his body to do something entirely inappropriate for the situation.<br/>
“Seriously? Why the hell would you do it? No woman is worth almost dying just for a bunch of flowers…”</p>
<p>Rey was trying to make sense of the situation but it was very hard. He never showed any sign of distress after coming in the shop. He always looked normal, maybe a little nervous, but Rey had thought nothing of that. So why would he suddenly get such a violent reaction?</p>
<p>“I beg to differ…” Ben said quietly.</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“You said that no woman is worth almost dying over flowers. I would like to disagree. There are women worth it.”</p>
<p>“Well, I guess, Bazine looks really amazing, so you might be actually right,” Rey conceded. Ben looked hurt and confused. Rey tried to not think about it.</p>
<p>“Bazine? I’ve been buying those flowers and giving them to my mother because I have no one to give them to and it would feel wrong to just toss them,” Ben explained and looked away from her. </p>
<p>Now Rey was truly confused. </p>
<p>“But… I thought Bazine was… um… why were you coming to buy those flowers then? If you had no one to give them to?!?”</p>
<p>“I thought that was pretty obvious…” Ben looked at her. </p>
<p>“I don’t get it, you kept coming here while you were severely allergic and buying all these flowers that said love, desire, devotion, I want you...and then you were giving them to your mother? This does not make sense and it’s definitely not obvious to me.”</p>
<p>Ben sighed. He hung his head low. It was time to come clean and tell Rey the truth about coming to the store every week. She would be probably very creeped out and that would be the end for him. “I kept coming here to buy those flowers every week, just to spend time in your presence. I know I am disgusting and a terrible creep but that was all, I swear. I just wanted to spend time with you because you are beautiful and witty and a literal ray of sunshine and you were the best part of my week. And Bazine is just a colleague and a very good friend. We tried and it didn’t work out but that was a very long time ago and there is absolutely nothing between us. And I know you have a partner and I swear I will stop coming here and being a creep...just let me go and I won’t bother you again.”</p>
<p>Rey was left speechless. He was coming to the shop every week to spend time with her. And he thought she had a partner? While she thought he had a girlfriend? What a mess.</p>
<p>“Ben.. I … I don’t have a partner. And I don’t know how you came to that conclusion but oh my god, this is a mess. Those 10 minutes you spent here every week were the highlights of my weeks, every single time… even when it hurt because I thought you had a girlfriend and…”</p>
<p>“Quite the pair we are,” Ben laughed weakly. </p>
<p>“Indeed.”</p>
<p>They looked at each other for a while. Rey felt heat in her face. So they were tiptoeing around each other for weeks and…</p>
<p>“Wait… but how come you were completely fine before? I would never have noticed there was something wrong with you.”</p>
<p>Ben looked embarrassed. “I usually took double the amount of meds needed before coming here. I was willing to risk it just to spend time with you.”</p>
<p>“Oh, Ben, that’s…” Rey was left speechless, suddenly anger returned, “that’s actually pretty stupid. How could you risk your life. I told you no woman is worth dying over flowers and yet you...!”</p>
<p>“And I told you that some women are!” Ben interrupted. </p>
<p>Rey stopped in the middle of her sentence. She looked at Ben and then they both leaned closer together and their lips met in a kiss. Rey reached into Ben’s hair and tugged him closer. They kissed for a while before separating. Ben reached with his hand and touched Rey’s cheek. They smiled at each other.</p>
<p>“I should call my mother and let her know that I will be late for dinner,” he said with a smirk.</p>
<p>“And that there will be no more flowers for her, you are officially banned from the store,” Rey countered. </p>
<p>“I guess I can deal with that if I get to see you and do this some other time,” Ben quiped and pulled Rey into another kiss. He really should get out of the store and home, take a shower, get his meds refilled, pack new EpiPen but with Rey’s lips on his and her hands in his hair, he could care less.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you made it this far, congrats. And I am sorry for having to endure this. I don't think I'll do it again. Feedback would be appreciated, thank you &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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